Determined Heart
by Lina Skye
Summary: Obi and Qui are sent on a mission to aid another Jedi.....gosh..lately, I have stank at summaries......just R&R...lol


yes..I know...I have been on an odd string of short stories....I'll finish my longer ones!! I promise! I am determined to finish Shadows in the Light by next week....that is when school starts...so, I hope I will!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
NOTE: *....*means character thought  
//....//means telepathic messages  
*~*~*~*~*~*means dream/flashback  
  
((.....))means my own thoughts on what happens  
  
  
  
Determined Heart  
  
  
Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi crept silently through the dark tunnels of the planet of Kessel. Breath masks covered their faces, being a constant reminder of the swiftness they needed to enact this mission in.   
  
Somewhere deep inside the mining tunnels of the planet, was the newly Knighted Caria Irin. The young Jedi Knight had been sent on a diplomatic mission to Kessel to persuade the scientists of Maw Installation to stop their experiments on super weapons.   
  
Apparently, the 22 year old's first mission had not gone as planned.   
  
The scientists had reacted badly to her proposition. They then captured her, tortured her, and abandoned her in the dark mines of Kessel.   
  
From what the Council had told them, Qui-Gon could gather that the scientists were so angry (and eccentric) that they had thrown Knight Irin into a small cell built especially for their purposes of containing her. It had a small store of oxygen that was meant to keep her alive...for a certain amount of time.   
  
If Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan did not get there soon, the captive Knight would die a slow, painful, suffocating death deep in the mines.   
  
The two male Jedi could only hope that time was on their side as they continued the search for Caria Irin.   
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
Caria Irin coughed, feeling light headed. Her head pounded from lack of oxygen and the world spun every now and then.   
  
*great...just great......Death...no blaze of glory..just suffocation in the mines....just magical,*she thought cynically.   
  
On top of the bad air that was circulating through her body, multiple other injuries added weight to her psyche. Luckily, the scientists were not well versed in the 'art' of torture. They had merely beat her to their heart's content .   
  
Still, though their means of hurting her were not quite lethal, they had inflicted some damage...which in turn, could kill her as time passed if she had no medical attention.   
  
A large gash traced her jaw line, running from her earlobe to her chin. A large bruise ran across her temple next to her left ear. That was only painful.   
  
Her ribs were cracked and bruised, making it an agonizing task to take a breath of the unclean air she was supposed to breathe.   
  
Both of her legs were broken....but that mattered little. She could not feel that. Caria was completely numb from the waist down. They had broken her back with a few swift strokes of a table leg.   
  
So, Caria just laid there on the cold, hard floor of the small cell she was doomed to die in. Hope was but a faded memory. There was little hope for rescue. The short transmission she had managed to get to the Council before being captured would serve no aid in a rescue attempt.   
  
The only hope she would have is if the Council had somehow found out where she was.....but that was completely out of the question.   
  
*I might as well just die right here, right now.......*Caria thought to herself. Still, her iron will to live that was bred with becoming a Jedi clung determinedly to her mind, infusing her heart with hope.   
  
Maybe...just maybe, someone could take her from this nightmarish cell.....maybe................  
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
Obi-Wan stopped at the door of the cell. He pulled out the breath mask they had brought for the Jedi Knight.   
  
Qui-Gon stepped up to the door, which had a small window in it. He brushed away the grime and dust that had settled on the transparisteel with a calloused hand.   
  
Inside, the young Jedi Knight laid on the ground, completely immobile, other than the shallow breathing that her chest rose and fell with.   
  
Qui-Gon tampered with the door's controls with the Force. A few moments later, the door to the cell slid open.   
  
Immediately, the fleeting oxygen left the cell, leaving the Knight's chest heaving in an attempt to breathe. Caria's brown eyes went wide as her chest spasmed painfully in an attempt to gain oxygen.   
  
Obi-Wan ran into the cell, fitting the Knight with a breathing mask as Qui-Gon shut the door of the cell behind them, closing off the vacuum opening the door had created.   
  
"How badly are you injured?"Qui-Gon inquired, moving to the young woman's side.   
  
Caria Irin looked over at the intruders to her cell. Well, that small chance of rescue had come true.....  
  
"A few bruised or cracked ribs.....two broken legs, but the legs matter little to me any more,"Caria said hoarsely, a bitter note of sarcasm tinting the last part of her speech.   
  
Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow, but said nothing to provoke the injured Knight. It was Qui- Gon who was to do the provoking.   
  
"Why is that?"Qui-Gon asked, shooting Caria a questioning look before returning back to his probing her body for injuries through the Force.   
  
"I can't feel them. That is why! My spine...has been severed,"she said matter-of-factly. Exhaustion caused her to shrug her injuries off as if they didn't matter. She was far too tired to care.   
  
Qui-Gon nodded, seeing the apparent exhaustion that was fogging Caria's perceptions. Her back was indeed broken, but she would feel the full emotional impact of that later....right now, she could care less.   
  
"Come along, Knight Irin. We are going to get you out of here,"Qui-Gon said, pulling the Knight into his arms.   
  
Caria nodded vaguely, barely understanding the meaning of his words. She was already half asleep.   
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
Obi-Wan looked over at his Master questioningly.   
  
"That was odd. She spoke of her injuries carelessly,"the 18 year old commented.   
  
Qui-Gon nodded, looking down at the unconscious Knight in his arms.   
"Well, considering everything she has been through, I doubt she has had any sleep in the past week or two. That kind of exhaustion, compiled with pain, could dull anyone's perceptions, Padawan,"the big Jedi said, never breaking stride as they strode back up the surface of the planet towards their ship.   
  
"I wonder how well she will handle it once she is better rested and lucid,"Obi-Wan commented after a short pause of contemplation.   
  
Qui-Gon turned to regard his Padawan. "That, Obi-Wan, is not something that is a pleasant thing to think about."  
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
Caria woke hours later, only to find herself stifling cries of pain. Her chest and midsection, which was already tightly bandaged, burned with agony.   
  
Along with that, she could barely sit up due to the support wraps that her lower, as well as upper, back had been wrapped in to keep her from doing further damage to her spine.   
  
Her cracked vertebrae in her upper back throbbed, being a painful reminder of the fact that her legs should be throbbing as well. Her legs, which were also wrapped tightly in bandages, laid there lifeless, but still attached to her body.   
  
"I am glad to see that you are conscious, Knight Irin. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever wake up. I trust you are well rested?"a voice inquired.   
  
Caria turned her head slightly to see one of the Jedi who was responsible for rescuing her. The tall, bearded man walked over and sat at her bedside.   
  
"Please...call me Caria. Who are you?"Caria asked, meeting the question with a question of her own.   
  
"I am Qui-Gon Jinn and my Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi is sleeping in another passenger cabin in the back,"the tall man replied.   
  
Caria struggled to sit up, but found that she could not due to the lack of a lower body to move up with. Qui-Gon moved forward, slowly helping the young Knight to sit up, slanting the bunk she was on so that she could sit up.   
  
Caria murmured her thanks, then looked over at the Jedi Master. After having to have aid in doing the simplest task of moving, the true weight of what had happened pressed down on her. The Jedi Master noticed her sudden change in mood and regarded her inquisitively.   
  
"What is wrong, young one?"  
  
After a moment of silence, Caria spoke. "I will never walk again......will I?"she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.   
  
Qui-Gon paused. How to answer a question like that? Do you give hope, though there is none? Or do you be truthful—though the truth is harsh?  
  
"I want the truth, Master Jinn,"Caria stated softly.   
  
Qui-Gon looked over to meet the other Knight's brown gaze. "It is not for me to say as to whether you will regain feeling in your legs and walk. I am no healer—"  
  
"The truth, Master Jinn.........the truth,"she interrupted firmly.   
  
"It is doubtful. If your spinal cord was unharmed, then you would have hope, but considering the extent of your injuries....I am sorry,"Qui-Gon said gently.   
  
Caria averted her eyes from Qui-gon's gaze. The unharnessed compassion and pity was too much to bear. She did not want their sympathy. She wanted to be a Jedi.......*what good is a Jedi who can't walk?*  
  
She must have been broadcasting, for Qui-Gon seemed to read her thoughts. "Every Jedi does good to the order....no matter what happens to them,"he said sternly.   
  
Caria nodded, but inwardly, did not wholly agree with the experienced Jedi Master. What good was she?   
  
When met with a stony silence, Qui-Gon nodded. He gently patted her hand, then stood. "I will be in the cockpit if you need assistance,"he said, then exited the passenger cabin.   
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
For hours, Caria sat there, thinking about the things she would never be able to do again........  
  
When suddenly, her wallowing in the bottomless well of self-pity was interrupted. Obi-Wan Kenobi strode into the passenger cabin, bleary eyed and hungry.   
  
Caria watched the handsome young man stumble sleepily over to the kitchen unit, his eyes barely open as he attempted to make himself something decent to eat.   
  
After a few failed tries at preparing the contents of the ration pouches, Caria decided to help the now distressed, but sleepy Jedi Padawan.   
  
"Um....Obi-Wan?"she began, recalling the name of Qui-Gon's Padawan, "I think I know what you're doing wrong."  
  
Obi-Wan turned to regard the injured Knight. "That being....?"  
  
"Well...you're supposed to read the directions—"  
  
"—I did—"  
  
"—and then, you're supposed to follow them,"as she finished her sentence, Caria rolled her eyes in mock disgust.   
  
Obi-Wan shot her a look of false anger. "I knew that,"he muttered sarcastically, turning back to his task.   
  
Caria then proceeded to talk the handsome Padawan through preparing a meal. Soon, Obi-Wan was sitting at her bedside.   
  
Both Jedi ate the product of their 'hard work' making small talk and conversation. Obi- Wan actually got Caria to crack a smile.   
  
"After I had managed to steal his clothes while he was in the communal showers.........Force, please, imagine the look on Master Yoda's face when Qui-Gon comes streaking down the hall stark naked.   
Yoda says: 'Demand explanation for this, I do!'  
Qui-Gon replies by saying: 'I apologize, Master Yoda...I know I am a tad indecent, but the naked truth must be revealed to the galaxy. The public has a right to know!'  
I doubt Yoda ever got over that day,"Obi-Wan said, giggling uncontrollably as he finished his story.   
  
Caria gave a sharp laugh, a sudden mental picture of the scene playing before her mind's eye. Her laughter turned into a gasp as pain raked through her chest. Still, her smile did not fade. "Please...don't make me laugh...it hurts,"Caria managed between gasps of pain and giggles.   
  
Obi-Wan nodded, still laughing. A few moments later, Qui-Gon entered the room, sending the two Jedi into yet another fit of giggles that ended in tears—of mirth...and of pain in Caria's case.   
  
"What is going on?"Qui-Gon inquired.   
  
Caria managed to compose herself, then looked up at Qui-Gon. The only thing she was able to utter before giving off another laugh was this: "The truth has been revealed!"  
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
In the cockpit of the ship, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan sat, discussing the outcome of their latest mission.   
  
"I am glad to see you and Jedi Caria Irin getting along so well. Though I didn't know her before this mission, I was worried she would not recover emotionally from this,"Qui-Gon said.   
  
Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't she? Many Jedi have been disabled in the line of duty, still they go on. With the help of her Master—or former Master in her case—"  
  
"I knew her Master.......he was a great man. He died about a month ago. That is the main reason she was Knighted....she faced her trials in getting off the planet alive with the body of her Master. As a Knight, you have very little time to see your friends due to the fact that no one is in the Temple at the same time. Therefore......she will have no support when she arrives back at the Temple,"Qui-Gon interrupted softly.   
  
Obi-Wan nodded, taking in the information that had been bestowed upon him about his newfound friend. "I wish I could help her,"Obi-Wan said softly.   
  
"You already have, Padawan...you already have."  
  
* * * * * * * * * 4 months later......  
  
Obi-Wan looked over the observation deck down at the room of students. Below he and Qui-Gon, Caria Irin was teaching a room full of students about the Force and meditation.   
  
Though bound to a wheelchair (she refused to use a hoverchair *~ I will get around by my own means.....~* had been her words), she had kept her desire to aid the galaxy in her heart.   
  
Though she was not going on missions due to her disability, she behaved far from disabled. She taught students at the Temple, even aiding Masters and Padawans in finding serenity and strength in the Force.   
  
Upon arriving at the Temple four months earlier after being imprisoned on Kessel, she had found she had a deep link to the Force. She had a knack for aiding others in finding their strength in the Force, as well.   
  
"I am glad that she was able to recover, Master,"Obi-Wan said softly.   
  
Qui-Gon nodded. "As am I, Obi-Wan...as am I."  
  
As the students meditated, Caria looked up at the observation deck, sensing her two friend's presences. The look on her face said all the thanks that she had not had the opportunity to say earlier. //Thank you, Qui-Gon...thank you, Obi-Wan......for everything.//  
  
  
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FINISH!!  
Well, that was it! I hope you enjoyed!   
  
PlEASE REVIEW!!! This was a short story that attacked me..so I had to write it! Thank you for reading!!!  
  
Signing out for now,   
Lina Skye 


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